It's All Greek to Me
by josiereads
Summary: The Wardstone drops Tom off in the world of Percy Jackson. Everything's confusing and strange, and some of the people here smell strangely like food. The only thing Tom knows is he must head back to Chipenden, even if the how isn't quite as obvious.
1. All Magical Boulders Lead to Alleyways

**Percy Jackson**

It was nice being able to finally relax. Me and Wise Girl were finally getting some down time, but of course that didn't last long. A camper, one of the youngest ones that had joined after the Giant War, came up to us and said that Chiron needed us in the Big House. As much as I wanted to drag my feet and complain about the interruption, especially on an off day, I knew it had to be important. Chiron had called for both Annabeth and I after all. Or he just knew it would be harder to get me over there if she wasn't coming with…

After a look we headed to the Big House at a jog, unsure of how urgent this would actually be. At the doors of the big house stood Chiron, and next to him was Dionysus with his arms crossed. Either I had somehow pissed him off again, which wouldn't have been a surprise, or something else had set him off. I wasn't sure which one to hope for. One way I was probably going to be turned into a dolphin, and the other meant that something was seriously wrong.

"Please tell me there hasn't been some other prophecy."

"Luckily not, but this is still a matter of utmost importance. The Wardstone has come to our world for the first time in centuries." Annabeth was practically vibrating next to me, and I could tell by the scrunch of her eyebrows that they were all questions. What this stone was, why hadn't she heard of it, why was it important, were all dancing around in her brain and mine as well. "It also brought something with it."

Annabeth opened her mouth, no doubt to ask a question, but Dionysus held a hand up to stop her. "And before you ask, the Wardstone is basically a really old and magical boulder that can pass through time and space."

"...what?" I know, very intelligent remark Percy, but I had never heard about this in any myth. By the looks of it, neither had Annabeth. "So there's some weird wibbly wobbly time-y wimey space rock, why do we have to deal with whatever item brought?" Instead of an answer, I got an elbow to the ribs from Annabeth. I help my hands up to her in surrender.

"We're pretty sure it brought a person, Percy. I need you guys to make sure they aren't a threat, or in danger themselves. There's no doubt that nearby monsters felt the magical shift near where the person was brought."

"So it's not optional then. Do you at least have an area for us to start looking for this alien?"

"Well," started Chiron, "the Wardstone appeared somewhere in Queens and the 'alien,' as you called it, will probably look out of place. It'll most likely be their physical appearance that will give them away. I'm sorry that I can't give you more info Percy, just try to find them before someone else does. We don't need mortals or monsters knowing about this."

"C'mon Seaweed Brain, let's go find them." I reached for her hand and she grabbed it with a roll of her eyes.

We rode to New York with Argus. We talked on the ride to Alley Pond Park, and I lost yet another staring contest with one of his eyes on the way. We got out and looked around at the crowd, trying to find something out of place. Nothing seemed off, but that didn't mean the alien couldn't shape shift into something. Maybe we'd be dealing with a Mystique situation…

I saw two teens around my age entering an alley, and what usually would feel normal felt wrong in a way I hadn't felt before. I kept my eyes on them, trying to see what was wrong, and then I saw a donkey leg. My first thought was that there was a satyr around, but the metal flash of the other leg was when I knew it was an empousa. I nudged Annabeth and pointed towards the duo before we both followed them down the alleyways.

**Tom Ward**

I awoke with a pounding in my head, it felt like a horse had stomped on my head. My head pulsed, a stabbing sensation throwing itself into the mix now and then. I slowly opened my eyes, the light seemed blinding. Through the haze, I noticed that I was no longer by the Warstone, and that I didn't know where I was. The Wardstone wasn't something predictable or reliable, it would come and go as it pleased. With it gone, I had no idea how to get back, or when I'd be able to. My only hope was finding out where exactly here and when was and see if I'd have a chance of traveling back.

The smell hit me first, of rot, filth, and absence of the smell of grass. I looked down to where the main source of the putrid smell was only to realize that I was in a bin of some sort. Black bags filled with something filled the bin, and whatever was in these weird bags was no doubt the source of the smell.

I scrambled out of the bin and the alleyway. I brought a hand up to shield my eyes as the building next to me was no longer shielding me from the daylight. I looked around, and a sense of utter wrong entered my gut. The buildings were tall, made of bricks and metal and glass, all just oh so wrong. The staggering amount of people in one place was wrong, the clothes they wore was wrong, and the metal contraptions that people were riding in and how they moved were all so wrong. Nothing felt right, not the streets, not the sky, not the absence of rolling green hills. Nothing felt right, and my head pulsed harder as I tried to understand anything that was happening.

I didn't know how long I would be able to keep myself going in this state, so I tapped the shoulder of a nearby girl to get her attention. Her blonde hair was tucked over one shoulder, and her skirt was the shortest thing I had ever seen. She turned around, and I was struck with a wave of cold. She smiled wide, her teeth sharp and her eyes glowing red against her pale skin.

"I haven't seen you around here before…" I managed to control my surprise when her hair blazed to life. "What'cha need, handsome?"

I had no idea what kind of creature she was, and I couldn't help but long for the books that used to belong in the Chipenden library before the fire. I could only hope she wasn't fully on the side of the dark. If she was, I was sure I had the energy to use my chain or sword if necessary.

"Do you know what the fastest way to Chipenden is?"

She looked ready to answer, but the conversation was forgotten when I noticed another foreign smell wafting towards my nose. It wasn't coming from the girl, but beyond her, and it smelled like some sort of food. She must have noticed the smell as well as she had turned towards it salivating. I tried to properly place it, but it was overwhelmed by the smell of trash.

She turned back to me with a smirk. "I know the way. Just follow me."

I decided to follow, as she was my only current lead. She lead my away from the smell and back into the alleyways, twisting and turning. I was becoming more certain that this was a trap, but I could at least defend myself better than the other people she might have tried to ensnare. I tried to keep my eyes trained on her arms for any sudden movements, but something shiny drew my attention towards her legs. It was her leg, and it was made of a bronze-like metal. It contrasted her other, more hairy leg, that looked like it belonged to a donkey. A strange combination I had never seen before, but it was a hint to what she was. She must be an abhuman, a creature born from a witch and the Fiend. It would explain her fiery hair, but I couldn't sense any witch in her.

She continued walking through the maze like alleyways until we reached a dead end. She turned around, her eyes hungry, and I knew for sure that she couldn't be anything but an ally to the dark. I slowly started to reach for my sword hidden under my black, tattered cloak.

"Sorry sweetheart, but you won't be making it to wherever your Chipenden is. I'm rather hungry you see, and only a half-blood would have a chance at resisting my pull."

My eyes widened, I had no idea how she was able to sense that I wasn't a full mortal.

"How did you know? I've never met a creature that was able to tell…"

"Oh you silly little half-blood. Just because I can't smell you doesn't mean I don't know your kind. I'm not just some creature, I'm an empousa, and I know what to look for in a tasty meal. Now keep still as I rip your heart out!"

As she started to lunge I drew my sword from its scabbard. Her mouth and eyes opened wide at the sight of it, and I took advantage of her hesitation to swing. I had never fought whatever an empousa was, but I knew where the weak spot of most monsters was, the neck. Surprisingly, it cut through her like a hot knife through butter. Her head fell to the ground, the fire flickering in her eyes and hair until the flames died out. Suddenly, her head and body puffed into clouds of golden dust.

I put my hands on my knees to stabilize myself as I took in hefty breaths. The haziness from my head was getting worse, and the smell of food was getting stronger. Some of the dust entered my lungs, and the tickling sensation sent me into a coughing fit.

"Yeah, that stuff isn't something you really want to breathe in buddy."

I coughed again, "No kidding." I looked up to the voice, and the only thing that I registered was the shifting sea-green of his eyes. Something about him felt familiar, and with a jolt I realized what it was.

"You look Greek..." I said before the haze overtook me. I wasn't able to see or hear his reaction as the throbbing in my head finally made me pass out.


	2. Walls Shouldn't Act Like Molasses

**Annabeth Chase**

I put my hat on when we entered the alleyways. I was sure this dark haired boy was the one that had come with the Wardstone. Well that, or he had just come from some medieval fair of some sort. I did my best to observe what I could while following them, and besides the strange clothes I couldn't see anything strange. His movements were sluggish, either from exhaustion or more likely from Tammi's magical powers. There was no reason I could think of for him following her otherwise.

That was until they reached a dead end of course. I was getting ready to dispatch Tammi myself at that point, but the boy had started moving his hand towards his cloak. This was perfect, I could see what kind of person we were dealing with and jump in if needed. Tammi and the boy talked, apparently he was a half-blood- and probably not the greek kind if he didn't know what an empousa was. He was definitely used to fighting monsters, if having a sword on him and his use of the word 'creature' was any indication. That, and he had a desperate enough need to reach a place called Chippenden that he had followed her into an alleyway.

He dispatched her quickly and ended up breathing in the dust. Something that every demigod would not recommend ever. Dust in your lungs sucked, and knowing that it was some kind of monster dust made it even worse sometimes. Percy was the one that showed himself first, and had even tried to catch the boy before he fell unsuccessfully. I was much closer, but I hadn't moved an inch.

"You look Greek," I repeated softly. I took off my hat before I continued, "He said it like he knew, Percy. It looked like he was sniffing at something… what if he smelled it?"

"No, that was super weird, but I don't think he smelled me. He was making eye contact with me when I saw him recognize something though."

"It's still a chance, we don't know what his world was like. He could be something beyond anything we know."

Percy picked up the boy in a fireman's carry before looking to me with a reassuring smile. "We can theorize all you want in the car, let's just get back to camp before anything else happens. I'd like to not test my luck today."

"Can you IM Argus? I don't want to be seen with you dragging around a body."

He nodded, and I turned my attention towards the sword. It had fallen out of his hands when he collapsed, and the city's alleyways had decided to make their very clean mark on it. It was a shade of red I hadn't seen in a metal before, and I couldn't help but sense the power this sword had. Holding it had sent a rush of power through me that I hadn't felt before, like I could cut anything. I felt like I could cut through a god.

I hesitantly put the sword down once we had gotten into the car with Argus. The rush of power was gone, and a pit grew in my stomach. The Wardstone had brought a person experienced in fighting monsters, and with it a sword powerful enough to injure a god. We had no current way of knowing the boy's intentions, powers, and no knowledge whatsoever of the sword.

I thought through everything out loud, and Percy had eyed the sword when I told him what it had felt like. He gave me the boy's cloak to wrap around it when we headed out of the car and up the hill to the barrier. That was when something even weirder happened.

The barrier had always protected us at Camp Half-Blood ever since Thalia's sacrifice. It let the good guys through, kept the bad ones out. As the people protected by it, we could choose what comes in and what came out of the border. It had always been like walking through air or like running into a sturdy castle wall. Never had I ever seen it act like it did when Percy carried the person through. It looked like Percy was trudging through head-high molasses. As if the border couldn't decide whether to act like air or a wall so it had decided to be neither.

"That," Percy panted as he got through, "was fuckin' weird. Like, what the actual Hades weird." He turned to me, "Do you have any idea what just happened?"

"I… I'm not sure Percy. It's never acted like that before, maybe Chiron will know… If not I'll look through some books, ask my mom, I'll figure this out eventually." We both gave the boy in his arms a weary look.

"I'll get him to the infirmary, you go see about the border and the sword."

"And you're certain about the sword?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I've seen nothing of it's make or kind before. It must be something truly unique to that boy's world."

I nodded, and headed to the Hephaestus Cabin in search of Leo. I wasn't sure how good of an idea it was to leave the sword with them. I could see that plenty of them were listening in on the conversation as well as the twitches of their hands when I said I'd leave it for them to inspect. Leo looked the most excited however, and I made sure to remind him not to damage the sword when trying to find out what it was made of.

He had put his hand on his chest, his face a picture of false innocence and hurt. "Since when have I ever done that?" he said before practically running with the sword to the forges.

**Percy Jackson**

The medical bay was filled with the regular amount of people. Simple things like lava burns from the climbing wall or cuts from an all to excited Clarisse during weapons training. It was because of this that Will was able to see to us when I walked in. I had nothing against his siblings, but Will was no doubt the best healer in the cabin.

I explained everything that happened to Will, and as I talked Will lead me to an empty bed to lay the boy down. He checked for a head injury the second I told him about the fall he had taken.

"Well," Will started, "he definitely has a bump on his head. Luckily, it seems rather small, and the fall you described doesn't sound high enough to have caused a concussion. His main problem seems to be fatigue, and if he was teleported here by a… really magical boulder like you said he was, that might have drained energy from him and made his condition worse. You're sure that he said he was a half-blood? I'd like to use Ambrosia, but I'd rather not have a pile of burning sand in here."

"Yeah, he asked Tammi how she knew he was a half-blood."

"Alright then."

Will broke off a small square and had me hold open the boy's mouth. Will lowered the piece of Ambrosia, and I couldn't help but wonder what kind of food the boy would think it was. I doubt it would match the taste of my mom's cookies though.

Before Will could feed it to him though, the boy jerked and started _hissing_. His teeth had clamped shut, the image of my fingers getting bitten off like a carrot came to mind as I jerked my hands away. His teeth were barred as he hissed, still asleep but moving his body closer like a burnt animal. Will moved the Ambrosia away and the boy stilled, looking just as peaceful as he had before the hissing started.

Will gave me a look and moved the ambrosia closer. The hissing started off again, though quieter as the Ambrosia was an arm's length away from him this time.

"So uh, no Ambrosia?"

"Yeah," Will said, looking at the boy with creased eyebrows. "Considering he reacted to Ambrosia like that unconsciously… I doubt he's the same kind of half-blood as us."

"I should go update Chiron and Annabeth to see if they know about anything that's known to.. hiss like that I guess. Do you think it's possible that he's part snake?" Will rolled his eyes.

"You do that, I'll make sure to keep an eye on him." He paused in thought. "See if you can find someone willing to watch him over night too. With his state of exhaustion he shouldn't wake up for a while. Considering he's half something I can't be certain."

"Gotcha, see ya around Doctor Solace!"

"Please don't call me that," he deadpanned.


End file.
